Samuel Adams is one of the beers that started the micro revolution in this country. They’ve since graduated to become the micro of macros, or the macro of micros, depending on who you ask. Jim Koch, their founder, hasn’t not forgotten how he got his start nearly a quarter-century ago: a batch of Boston Lager brewed in his kitchen using a recipe he found in the attic. To celebrate their homebrew heritage, the Boston Beer Company has held a homebrew contest called the “LongShot American Homebrew Contest” for the last couple of years. The 2007 winners recently made their appearance on store shelves, and I picked up a pack. An introduction to the two brews contained therein comes from the Sam Adam’s website:
Congratulations to Mike McDole of California and Rodney Kibzey of Illinois for being crowned the 2007 Samuel Adams American Homebrew Contest National Champions! Rodney’s Weizenbock will appear in the LongShot mix 6-pack beginning in February 2008. Mike’s Double IPA will be released in 2009 while we source the ingredients needed to provide a true representation of his recipe.
The third brew in the LongShot package will be a Grape Ale created by Lili Hess, winner of the Samuel Adams employee homebrew competition. Lili’s beer was chosen by over 1,400 beer lovers at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival from among the 3 employee homebrew finalists. Congratulations Lili!
So, due to the worldwide hop shortage, the Double IPA was left out of the six-pack this time around, which means I got three of the Weizenbock and three of the Grape Ale. I started with Rodney’s Weizenbock. It pours brown, with a medium off-white head. I’ve seen it described as a murky color, and I guess I agree, though perhaps hazy is a better word. The appearance reminds me of a dark wheat beer, which is appropriate given the style. The smell is mostly clove, with some raisin and possibly a banana scent as well. Again, pretty standard dark wheat fair.
The taste is dominated by clove and offset by the banana. The dark fruits come out a little more after it warms slightly. The typical sweetness of a wheat beer is somewhat subdued in this brew and the mouthfeel is a little creamy. It is well carbonated and very drinkable. At more than 7% ABV, I don’t think this is a session beer, but it’s quite good and definitely deserving of its place in the LongShot six-pack.
My Rating:
The grape pale ale was a bit different for me. I’m generally not a huge fan of straight pale ales, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one. It poured a golden color with a pillowy head. It was a little lighter than I like to see, reminding me of a lager more than an ale, but it had some swirls of darker, almost amber color in there too. The head settled quickly and left pretty good lacing. The nose was some brown sugar malts and a hint of fruity hops. I don’t really detect grapes in here, but I’m not really sure that green grapes have much of a scent.
I was afraid that the sweetness of the grape would detract from the hoppy bitterness too much. My fears were mostly unfounded. A sip starts out dry and slightly bitter, like a pale ale should. The sweetness of the malts comes through in the middle, and the grapes leave a tartness on the finish. The slight bitter aftertaste of a pale ale is almost entirely hidden by the crisp, dry finish from the grapes. Unusual, but not unlikable. The carbonation is a bit on the high side, but it helps to keep the finish clean.
The BeerAdvocate comments on this brew have been all over the board, but I think this is a solid beer. It’s not spectacular, but it’s good and it’s original. I could see myself drinking a few of these when the weather warms up. It’s almost a shame it was released in February, as it’s a beer better suited to May or June.
My Rating: